Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-14
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The maps below show the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The provided illustration comprises two maps of the centre of a Islip which demonstrate the current outlook and the planned development for future in both the maps.
Overall, the various new tranformations and developments are the part of future plan. The shops will be clustered inside one shopping centre at north and bus station and car park will be constructed around shopping shopping centre.
The main road partitioning the shops on both sides of current map is planned to be moved around with dual carriageway, covering the entire town centre and the partition is shown to be used by pedestrians only. As per future developments displaying plan, the area for park will be shrunk and new housings at its left side will take place in future.
However, the location of school and housing society facing the school remains unchanged and a quite few modification made in design of school.
Overall, a significant number of changes have taken place in the map depicting future developments.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response successfully covers all parts of the task by identifying the main features of the current Islip map and comparing them with the proposed development plans. The writer notes the relocation of shops into a centralised shopping centre, the pedestrianisation of the main road, the addition of a dual carriageway around the town centre, and changes to the park and housing areas. While the overview at the beginning is somewhat repetitive and contains minor inaccuracies in phrasing, the key spatial transformations and future plans are clearly reported. Overall, the content satisfies the requirements for Task Achievement at a Band 6.0 level, as it addresses all parts of the prompt with relevant, identifiable information, though some descriptions could be more fully synthesized.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response displays a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible progression of ideas, moving from an introductory summary to specific structural and spatial changes. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division could be structured more logically. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Overall', 'However', and 'As per future developments displaying plan', but some referencing is repetitive and mechanical (e.g., repeating 'Overall' at the start and end). Furthermore, phrases like 'in both the maps' and 'displaying plan' disrupt the natural flow. Cohesion is sometimes faulty, which places this response comfortably at Band 5.5 to 6.0; however, due to clear logical organization overall, it meets the standard for a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe geographical changes and urban features such as 'shopping centre', 'dual carriageway', 'pedestrians', and 'housing society'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'tranformations' (spelling error), 'future plan' instead of 'future plans', and 'shopping shopping centre' (repetition). The writer attempts less common vocabulary with mixed success, leading to unnatural collocations like 'displaying plan' instead of 'proposed plan'. Because these errors do not severely impede communication but prevent higher-level precision and natural flow, the lexical resource fits the Band 5.5 descriptor, rounding to a 6.0 based on positive marking.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'The shops will be clustered inside one shopping centre at north and bus station and car park will be constructed around shopping shopping centre.' Grammatical accuracy is inconsistent; there are missing articles ('centre of a Islip', 'at north', 'for park'), preposition errors ('around shopping shopping centre'), and awkward phrasing ('a quite few modification made'). Although complex structures are attempted, errors in grammar and punctuation occur frequently, sometimes causing slight difficulty for the reader, though they rarely obscure the overall meaning entirely. These features align well with the Band 5.5 descriptor, justifying a band score of 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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